NewsBits

Fri, 02/28/2014 - 10:54 | danl

NewsBits

Feb. 28, 2014

Electronics recycling caught the ear of Congress on Thursday when the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs held a hearing to discuss ways to boost household e-scrap recovery. Among those speaking on the issue were Keep America Beautiful's Brenda Pulley, Walter Alcorn of the Consumer Electronics Association and Stephen Skurnac, president of Sims Recycling Solutions.

Building off of a successful run in the U.S. and a recent introduction in the U.K., Apple's in-store reuse and recycling program is now headed north of the border. The Canadian offshoot will offer customers store credit for used smartphones and ensure proper recycling for end-of-life devices.

Global Environmental Services (GES) announced the opening of its fourth facility last week in Cincinnati. Working in tandem with the company’s Georgetown, Kentucky operation, GES' new facility will provide greater access to the "tri-state area" of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana while increasing access to e-scrap recycling options.

John Correnti, planning to break ground on a major Arkansas steel mill known as Big River Steel, has announced plans to build a nearby e-scrap recycling facility. The Osceola, Arkansas facility will cost an estimated $33 million to build, source metals from circuit boards and could lead to 75 jobs.

The European Recycling Platform (ERP) has collected more than 2.2 million tons of e-scrap since 2002. Founded as the first waste electrical and electronic waste program to service the EU, ERP accepts WEEE, batteries and packaging for recycling in more than 40 countries, with plans to reach Israel and Turkey in the near future.

Canadian group Recycle My Cell released results from its fourth annual Recycle My Cell Student Challenge late last week after more than 140 schools participated in the program. All told, 3,500 wireless devices were collected as part of the competition, held from Oct. 21 to Nov. 22, with top-recycling schools from each province earning a $500 donation to support "green initiatives."